Day 72: Sending off Haley

Today was sad. I hated sending Haley away. We spent most of the morning preparing to take her up to the airport. We also worked on one final project for her menu board. By noon both Haley and I were ready for a nap. We put the boys down, I started a movie for Lucy, and I laid down with Alivia.

After our naps we packed everything up, loaded the car and headed up to Denver. I got Haley to the airport in one piece and dreaded the moment when I actually had to say by to her. We had a major problem tracking down her ticket because the airline never sent her a confirmation email. We know because we spent at least 45 minutes searching all of our email accounts for it. When we finally figured out it was a Continental flight, and we knew what time it was at. We also knew she had a ticket because of a bank confirmation and a call to the airline.

When we pulled up to the Continental drop off zone our plan was to check in at the curb. Unfortunately no one was there to check us in. So, I sat in the car when you are not allowed to wait and put on shoes and fiddled with car seats so I looked like I was actively unloading something from my car. At one point Haley called and told me she was actually on an United flight, so I backed the car up a few zones (which I'm sure was illegal). Then I put Bennett's shoes back on since he had taken them off again.

Then Haley returned and it was really time for goodbye. It was so hard to say bye because I don't know when I'll see her again. But honestly, this was such a good trip for me. It made me realize that it is so important to make an effort to see old friends as much as possible. Haley's visit was so rejuvenating for me, it was just what I needed right now. I needed those nights that I stayed up past midnight laughing and talking with girls. It was worth every moment, and now I know I have to make these things happen more often. They are so important.

So, when I got back in the car, my really stress began. The car was 7 miles until empty on gas. I was at the Denver Airport. There are ZERO gas stations around that airport, ZERO!!! Now, this same thing happened two days before, so I knew I had a little give and I could actually make it more than 7 miles. So I headed home. I was about 15 miles from the airport when I finally found an exit that I thought might lead to a gas station eventually. After exiting I drove another 5 miles or so, and I was really starting to panic that I wasn't going to find a gas station. Lucy sensed my worry and asked what was wrong. She was getting pretty scared so I told her to say a prayer that we would find a gas station and not run out of gas. It was raining and I getting dark and I really didn't want to run out of gas because at this point I didn't even know where I was. There was nothing cuter that hearing Lucy's little prayer in the back seat, and I said a silent prayer that her prayer would be answered for her faith.

A few minutes later we found a gas station and filled up. It was such a relief! Then I realized I literally had no idea where I was because I had to wander so much to find a gas station. That's when I opened Bob and Pam's storage console in the car and found their Tom Tom. I've never been so happy to find that thing! I typed in their address and it took me home. The rain did complicate my ability to read signs, but eventually I knew where I was.

When we got with in a mile of Bob and Pam's exit I noticed a car wandering into my lane way ahead of me. Then I realized that car wasn't moving more than 10 miles an hour. I slammed on the breaks and the horn at the same time because this car was slowly crossing all the lanes of traffic in the rain and had no hazard lights on. I almost smashed into the back of the and I had to pull onto the shoulder to miss them. Talk about a stressful return trip.

We stayed at Bob and Pam's for about a half hour. Jason, Rebecca, and Jeff were there so it was fun to say hi to them. Then we traded cars and headed back home. I miss Haley. I was sad walking into Lucy's room where she stayed and seeing her stuff was gone. But I did love spending a night with my husband tonight too. Seriously, Haley's visit was just good all around. I would do it again tomorrow if I could. Now it's back to life as I know it. I have a good life.